26 Aug 3 Metrics That Global Mobility Managers Should Track

Global mobility metrics should always be a major concern of global mobility managers. Come performance assessment time and department budget hearings, the company executives will always ask about the value that global mobility brings to the table. 

The issue may not just be a matter of how much money was spent on certain projects, but it might want to pinpoint the effectiveness of the programs that the global mobility manager launched. 

Given the quick adoption of Big Data, well-meaning claims and positive but unmeasured statements are no longer enough to support an activity, a venture, or a new hire. Metrics must be instituted to assess the significance (or lack of it) of recruitment efforts, marketing or employer branding campaigns, as well as the quality of the assignees signed on board.

Global mobility managers also face one emerging challenge these days: the need to come up with their own measurement stick to prove (or disprove) the viability of global mobility-related programs specifically. 

As Mercer points out, given the unique processes, requirements, and deliverables associated with the hiring and development of global talents, their leaders can no longer rely on the usual metrics they borrow from human resources. 

Here are three metrics that global mobility managers can implement to see if their programs — and assignees — are getting them a significant and calculable ROI.

Mobile talent acquisition

Mercer rightfully starts with talent and the end-to-end processes involving it, from recruitment, hiring, career development, to contract termination or renewal. 

The first questions would inevitably ask the locations where successful talents are often recruited. Then they would hone in on the talents themselves: what kind of assignees consistently give high performances? What are their commonalities: education, experience, specialization, country of origin, etc.? 

Finally, the metrics would have to spot the kind of talents that stay with the organization for the long haul. It would also monitor their career trajectories, their performance and level of engagement in every job post they held, and the contributions they made to the organization. A summary of the performance of these assignees could give management reason to continue global mobility efforts, as opposed to just relying on local hires for their talent needs.

Relocation

This is the first and important part of an assignee’s trip to their new region or country of employment. To new assignees, it could be their introduction to their first international posting. Their experience could add or lower their morale. Global mobility managers cannot just breeze over this phase. 

It is also one reason why global mobility partners like California Corporate Housing take pains to make sure each foreign guest or assignee feels very welcome when they move in. Relocation enumerates the usual costs that can be part of the metrics in this area such as transport, cargo, and taxes. 

However, aside from the costs, the global mobility manager can also customize metrics that can assess how the relocation process influenced the assignee’s over-all adjustment, which impacts their productivity.  

Proportion of assignees from diverse backgrounds

Diversity and inclusivity are not just so-called trends that are paid lip service to in the global mobility sector. They are core values that support the structure and empower the workforce. Assignees should feel welcome and accepted in the company that hires them and their contributions should be recognized and acknowledged. 

This respect must be expressed and formalized as a pillar of the corporate culture if assignees are to be integrated harmoniously into the team. Topia suggests the creation of metrics that can monitor and track the growth of assignees from diverse backgrounds, categorizing them into various groups such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or gender orientation. 

The metrics can further measure the growth of these groups over the years, especially when compared to the overall workforce. Finally, it can check the breakthroughs that the individuals in these groups made in a way that could have been performed with great difficulty by a more homogenous population.